Lycamobile review
Updated September 30, 2026 · TariffCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026
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Our verdict
Lycamobile suits UK readers who want a prepaid sim only line, 5G and an eSIM without a credit check or a long handset contract. It scores 9.2 overall, and entry pricing starts at £3.50 a month on a rolling monthly basis.
Key facts
- Best for
- A low cost prepaid sim only line in the UK with no credit check.
- Seller type
- Mvno (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- SIM-only
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Price from
- £3.50 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Reference plan prices
- National Plus: GBP 5 per month, 30 GB, 30 days; UK Plan Unlimited: GBP 12.5 per month, Unlimited, 30 days; UK Plan Smart: GBP 3.5 per month, 5 GB, 30 days (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Unlimited plan price
- £12.50 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- 5G
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- eSIM
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- EU roaming
- Fair use (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Credit check required
- No (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Markets
- GB (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Billing
- Prepaid, Rolling
- Contract length
- 1, 12, 24
- Official website
- lycamobile.co.uk
Apps and profiles
- Elsewhere
- Wikidata
Pros and cons
Pros
- Entry pricing of £3.50 a month and unlimited data at £12.50 a month place it near the top of our price-from and unlimited tables.
- A credit check is not required, which is a shorter route to a live line than a provider that scores applicants first.
- Billing runs on prepaid and rolling terms and plan terms come in 1, 12 and 24, so a reader can start short and stay flexible.
- 5G and an eSIM are both available on a sim only lineup, so a handset can be changed without moving provider.
Cons
- Roaming in Europe runs on fair use terms rather than being included, so regular travel calls for another plan.
- Lycamobile is an MVNO by mvno, where GETESA, Lonestar Cell MTN and yesss! are listed as networks, so readers set on a network seller should compare those instead.
- The entry price ranks 79 of 258 on our price-from list, so the lowest starting price in the comparison sits elsewhere.
- UK Plan Smart, the entry plan at £3.50 a month, carries a set data allowance rather than unlimited data, so heavy users move up to UK Plan Unlimited at £12.50.
Who it suits
- UK readers wanting a cheap prepaid data line: sim only plans from £3.50 a month, sold in the United Kingdom, with no credit check.
- Readers who want 5G or an eSIM but not a handset bundle, and who can live with plan terms of 1, 12 and 24.
- Holders of a spare phone or tablet who can manage fair use roaming and a set data allowance.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers who want European roaming included in the price: Lycamobile runs roaming on fair use terms, and GETESA, Lonestar Cell MTN and yesss! are the alternatives to weigh instead.
- Anyone who insists on buying from a network rather than an MVNO, since GETESA (network), Lonestar Cell MTN (network) and yesss! (network) all sell as networks while Lycamobile is an MVNO by mvno.
How it compares on our data
Lycamobile ranks 79 of 258 brands on our price-from list, so the entry plan sits among the lower priced plans in the field. Its unlimited price does better: 44 of 173 places unlimited data below the middle of that comparison rather than priced as a premium extra. On both measures the brand holds its ground, and the unlimited table is where it is most competitive.
Core features
Sim only plans are available, and so is 5G access, with an eSIM on the same lineup. A credit check is not required, so there is no scoring step between an applicant and a working line, which matters for readers with little credit history or a new mobile plan. The feature set is deliberately small: enough for a data led line on a phone already in hand, with nothing tying a reader to a handset.
Plans and prices
The entry point is UK Plan Smart, priced at £3.50 a month for a set data allowance. National Plus sits a step above it with a larger allowance, and UK Plan Unlimited is the unlimited option at £12.50 a month. The reference plans are quoted as standing monthly prices, so there is no promotional first bill waiting to expire and a higher figure waiting behind it. What a reader pays for UK Plan Smart is the figure the line keeps costing.
How Lycamobile compares
- 9.2 vs 8.5
- 9.2 vs 8.5
- 9.2 vs 8.5
- 9.2 vs 8.7
- 9.2 vs 8.6
- 9.2 vs 8.5
9.2 vs 8.8
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 8.5
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 9.1
9.2 vs 8.8- 9.2 vs 9.4
- 9.2 vs 9.4
Lycamobile vs yallo9.2 vs 9.3
9.2 vs 9.2
9.2 vs 9.2- 9.2 vs 9.2
Budget Thuis Mobile
Lycamobile vs Budget Thuis Internet9.2 vs 9.1
9.2 vs 9.1
Lycamobile vs Kyivstar9.2 vs 9.1
Lycamobile vs MasMovil9.2 vs 9.1
9.2 vs 9.1
Lycamobile vs T-Mobile Polska9.2 vs 9.1
Lycamobile vs Budget Energie9.2 vs 9.0
Lycamobile vs Lyca Mobile Ireland9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 8.8- 9.2 vs 8.8
9.2 vs 8.7
9.2 vs 8.7
9.2 vs 8.7
9.2 vs 8.6- 9.2 vs 8.6
9.2 vs 8.6
9.2 vs 8.6
9.2 vs 8.5
9.2 vs 8.5
9.2 vs 8.5- 9.2 vs 8.5
- 9.2 vs 8.5
- 9.2 vs 8.5
- 9.2 vs 8.0
- 9.2 vs 8.0
- 9.2 vs 8.0
- 9.2 vs 8.0
- Lycamobile vs Astound
- Lycamobile vs MobileX
- Lycamobile vs yallo
- Lycamobile vs MasMovil
- Lycamobile vs Budget Thuis Internet
- Lycamobile vs Twigby Mobile
- Lycamobile vs US Mobile
- Lycamobile vs Kyivstar
- Lycamobile vs T-Mobile Polska
- Lycamobile vs Meow Mobile
- Lycamobile vs Budget Energie
- Lycamobile vs PremiumSIM
- Lycamobile vs Lyca Mobile Ireland
- Lycamobile vs Lyca Mobile
- Lycamobile vs sim.de
- Lycamobile vs Visible
Where Lycamobile is available
- Available
- United Kingdom
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest Lycamobile plan?+
UK Plan Smart is the entry plan, priced at £3.50 a month for a set data allowance. It is a sim only offer, so no handset is needed, and a credit check is not required. National Plus costs more for a larger allowance, while UK Plan Unlimited is the option for a reader who would rather not watch data.
How much does the unlimited plan cost?+
UK Plan Unlimited is quoted at £12.50 a month. On our unlimited price list Lycamobile ranks 44 of 173, so unlimited data is priced below the middle of the field. The figure is the same throughout, with no promotional opening rate listed for the plan.
Do I need a credit check to sign up?+
A credit check is not required, so nothing is scored before a line is issued. Sim only plans are available and billing runs on prepaid and rolling terms, which means a line can be set up and topped up as a reader goes. That suits applicants who would not clear a credit scoring step.
How long is the contract?+
Billing runs on prepaid and rolling terms, and plan terms are offered in 1, 12 and 24. A short rolling period suits a reader who wants to test the service before committing, while a longer term suits one who prefers a fixed monthly cost. No handset is tied into the sim only plans.
Where does Lycamobile work?+
The plans are sold in the United Kingdom, so this is a single market offer for UK readers. A reader planning to live abroad and use the line as a main connection would need a different provider, because the reference plans are quoted for a single market only. Holiday roaming is treated separately.
Does it support eSIM and 5G?+
Both are available. An eSIM moves a line to a new handset without waiting for a plastic card, and 5G access sits on the same sim only lineup. Because Lycamobile sells as an MVNO by mvno rather than a network, coverage and speeds rest on the host network behind the plan.
How does it compare with network providers such as GETESA or yesss!?+
The main difference is the seller type. Lycamobile is an MVNO by mvno, while GETESA (network) and yesss! (network) are networks. A reader who values a prepaid, rolling, sim only structure with an entry price of £3.50 a month will find more of that shape here.
Are the quoted prices introductory, or do they change later?+
The reference plans are listed as standing monthly prices: UK Plan Smart at £3.50 and UK Plan Unlimited at £12.50, with National Plus priced above the entry plan. Billing is prepaid and rolling, and no first bill promotion appears in the listing, so there is no introductory figure set to expire later.
Sources
- lycamobile.co.uk/en/bundles checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Billing, Credit check required, ESIM, EU roaming, 5G, Markets, Contract length, Price from, Reference plan prices, Seller type, SIM-only, Unlimited plan price
“Pay As You Go SIM deals - 30 day plans”
Compiled from 1 source page, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.